ALL WARM INSIDE

Banish the chilly winter weather by snuggling up with cosy knitted blankets and cushions

That time of year has come again when we all want to get cosy by wearing winter woollies and chunky cardigans, putting the heating on and snuggling up together. When it comes to our homes, interior designers are making it easy for us.

From the High Street to crafts makers, everyone's layering up with blankets, rugs and cushions. T ake knits, which aren't just big on the catwalk but at home, too.

Ferm Living has vases, baskets and floor cushions in chunky cable-knit, while knitwear designer Melanie Porter has taken a Seventies Egg chair and covered it in a cosy, hand-knitted patchwork design.

'As well as upholstering antique chairs, I've started covering tables, lampshades and picture frames with knitted fabric,' she says. 'Wool gives any interior a sense of warmth and cosiness because we associate it with comfort.'

Blissfully soft blankets from The Sleep Room (www.thesleeproom.com) and Toast's layers of putty and pale duck egg bedlinen will make you want to abandon the living room for an early night with a book. Toast also has a fun knitted tea cosy.

'Tea cosies make me laugh and speak of that extra bit of care,' says company founder Jessica Seaton.

'And they keep your tea steaming hot, even after all the cake has gone.'

Marks & Spencer has knitted cushions and a sheepskin rug - perfect for the bedroom or living room if you have floorboards.

And Catherine Tough has delicate lambwool lavender hearts that look pretty hung from door handles. T he best thing about this look is it takes only a few little touches to make your home cosier.

'Throw a knitted blanket over a chair or pile knitted cushions on your sofa and you'll see the place instantly feels warmer,' says Porter.